Why are the Jordan Embassies Closing?

Summary
We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution in Jordan because of the high threat of terrorist attack.
Reports suggest terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks against Westerners and places frequented by Westerners in Jordan.
The Australian Embassy in Jordan will be closed until further notice due to the security situation. If you are in Jordan and need urgent consular assistance please call the switchboard at the Embassy (details below) and follow the prompts to have your call transferred to the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra. The British Embassy has also closed until further notice.
Terrorist attacks on 9 November 2005 against three international hotels in the capital, Amman, killed and injured many people, including foreigners. This demonstrates that the threat of terrorist attack in Jordan continues.
A public statement, purportedly by the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, has suggested that Al Qaeda's targets in Jordan might include a number of places frequented by foreigners, including tourist hotels, embassies and consulates.
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Jordan's parliament on Sunday approved a law that prevents Amman handing over U.S. citizens accused of war crimes to the international criminal court, lawmakers said.

The United States is firmly opposed to the ICC, set up in 2002 as the world's first permanent global war crimes court, fearing it will be abused for politically-motivated cases against its troops and citizens.

Jorsan's pro-government 110-seat parliament voted by a large majority in favour of the law which was viewed by rights bodies and some deputies as a violation of Jordan's obligations under the court's founding Rome Statute and eroded its sovereignty. Lawmakers said the law requires Jordan to refuse to hand over to the ICC persons accused of war crimes if they are U.S. nationals and non-nationals working for the U.S. government.

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